Nate Oats Issues Warning for Alabama Ahead of Texas A&M Matchup

Alabama head coach Nate Oats sees a potential flaw that could be exposed against the Texas A&M Aggies if the Crimson Tide does not fix it.

Texas A&M Aggies guard Pop Isaacs (2) defends during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Texas A&M is on a four-game winning streak and sitting atop the SEC with a 17–4 record, 7–1 in conference play. The Aggies are knocking on the door of a potential top-25 ranking as they find their groove under head coach Bucky McMillan.

Meanwhile, No. 23 Alabama has not put together more than two wins in a row since SEC play started, falling to 14–7 on the season. They are 4–4 against conference competition, and after their latest loss, Alabama head coach Nate Oats issued the team a warning. He sees a potential flaw in the Crimson Tide's game, which could lead to another loss if they are not careful.

Alabama’s Nate Oats Warns Crimson Tide Ahead of Texas A&M Game

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oates talks with Alabama Crimson Tide guard Chris Youngblood (8) during a timeout against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second half at Reed Arena. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Aggies and Crimson Tide face off on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in an anticipated conference matchup that features two of the best offenses in college basketball. Both teams sit inside the top 10 in scoring, averaging over 90 points per game, teeing up a potentially high-scoring affair.

However, Alabama has struggled since SEC play opened at the new year. The Crimson Tide's record has been uncharacteristically bad, struggling to get a winning streak started. Under Oats, the Tide were 75–33 in SEC play going into the year.

A 100–77 beatdown in Gainesville, Fla., against the defending champions, the No. 19 Florida Gators, put some fire under Oats and the Crimson Tide. Oats issued a warning to his team during the post-game press conference in anticipation of their upcoming matchup with the Aggies.

“They're good. Shoot, they turn people over, too,” Oats said to the media. “We're gonna have a problem Wednesday if we can't get our turnover issue fixed.”

Texas A&M Aggies guard Ali Dibba (6) applies pressure to South Carolina Gamecocks guard Kobe Knox (4) during the first half at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Oats’ teams have a certain reputation — high-scoring, ready to shoot threes and regularly conceding high point totals. Heading into their most recent loss, they ranked fourth in scoring offense (92.0) and second in three-pointers made per game (12.4).

They have also struggled on defense, as opponents are averaging over 82 points per game against Alabama in 21 games. The Crimson Tide not only has the worst scoring defense in the SEC but also a bottom-five defense among power conference programs.

The Tide has been a team of dichotomies this season. Through their first 20 games, their offensive rating ranked 15th (121.9) while their defensive rating ranked 235th (108.0) out of 365 teams. But lately, a new blemish has appeared that spells trouble against the Aggies. Turnovers have plagued Alabama, an area where Texas A&M can take advantage.

Against the Gators, the Tide conceded a season-high 18 turnovers while forcing two, a devastating -16 turnover differential. As a result, Florida outscored Alabama 25–0 off of forced turnovers, a key stat in a 23-point loss.

“They scored 100 points and only made three threes,” Oats said after the game. “You don't have to take many threes when you're getting dunks and layups off turnovers; 25-0 in points off turnovers, not sure I've ever been associated with a game like that.”

Texas A&M Aggies forward Rashaun Agee (12) dunks against Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) during the first half at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Alabama is 1–4 in games with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.0 or worse, including against Florida. Additionally, they are 2–6 when sophomore guard Labaron Philon has four or more turnovers, three times in eight SEC games.

This was another point of contention for Oats, who said “[Philon’s] had five turnovers way too many times this year.” In those games, the Tide are 1–4.

On the surface, Alabama’s turnovers have not been an Achilles heel. They ranked inside the top 20 in assist-to-turnover ratio and turnovers per game heading into their brutal matchup with Florida. But with a porous defense, the Tide have been winning on thin margins, meaning they cannot afford to have a bad game in the turnover department. When they do, it is detrimental.

The Aggies could be a tricky matchup for this reason, with their aggressive press defense and knack for getting and keeping the ball. Through their first 20 games, they ranked 21st in turnover margin (+4.0 per game), 17th in turnovers forced per game (15.45) and 15th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73).

This season, Texas A&M has protected the ball and been efficient, while creating chaos for opponents. Much like Oats’ teams, they have unapologetically played their style of basketball — but those styles could clash.

Texas A&M Aggies guard Ruben Dominguez (9) shoots a three-point basket during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

This recipe worked for the Gators, but it won’t be as simple as that. Florida also dominated Alabama through its frontcourt, scoring 72 points in the paint, 22 off dunks, 26 on fast breaks and outrebounding the Tide by 11. Florida shot 51.3% from the field and became the first SEC team to score 70+ points in the paint against a major-conference opponent.

Meanwhile, the Aggies do not have the same frontcourt depth or paint presence as the Gators, nor do they have the same proclivity for scoring in the fastbreak.

Texas A&M will need to be efficient with its opportunities. They ranked third in the SEC in effective field goal percentage (56.5%) and second in three-point percentage (37.3%) through their first 20 games.

The Aggies have lost their last three games against the Crimson Tide, including a back-breaking defeat in the SEC tournament championship. This time, though, McMillan and Texas A&M have a blueprint for their success, and they could avenge their previous shortcomings in one of the most exciting games in SEC play this season.